Rubio's Iran Testimony to House Committee Draws Divided Media Coverage

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday facing questions over the war and subsequent negotiations with Iran. Coverage of the hearing tended to focus on different angles and moments of the testimony and questioning.

"Is This A Circus?": Fox News (Right bias) said that Rubio "torches Democrat after bizarre hearing questions." The article highlighted a portion of the hearing where Rubio was being questioned by Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA). Jacobs accused Rubio of having "an issue admitting facts," and referenced a pair of shoes she said the president bought Rubio that were too big. Fox News said that "Rubio appeared puzzled by the remark," responding "I don't know about the shoes. I mean, [Trump] gave me some Florsheim shoes that are actually pretty good, they fit fine, I don't know what she's talking about." Jacobs then complimented Rubio on the shoes he wore at the hearing. "How can you see them? They're way down here," Rubio said, adding "We're talking about shoes. Are you guys kidding me? I mean, is this the Foreign Affairs Committee or is this, like, a circus?"

"Well, Thank You For Coming": Mediaite (Lean Left) said that "Rubio roast[ed] House Dem[ocrat] who 'screamed' at him and then left." The article, highlighting an exchange between Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) and Rubio, said "Rubio was thrown for a loop when a Democratic lawmaker appeared to leave a hearing after using her time to torch Rubio and the Trump administration." After saying Rubio calls out "corruption" in other countries, but not in the United States, Rubio said "I can't say anything because you won't let me," after trying to respond several times to the questioning. Kamlager-Dove said that Rubio's "credibility meter is on empty right now," and proceeded to ask about who oversees the sale of oil from the US and accusing the administration for a lack of transparency around the issue. Kamlager-Dove then abruptly left the hearing, yelling something inaudibly as she exited, to which Rubio responded, "How can I answer the question when you don't even give me time?" Rubio, after the inaudible shouting from Kamlager-Dove said "Oh, okay. Got it. Well, thank you for coming."  

"Major Meltdown": The New Republic (Left) said that Rubio "was called out for America's disastrous dealmaking with Iran." The article highlighted Senator Cory Booker's (D-NJ) line of questioning "over allowing Iran to get rich off the flailing U.S. war effort despite attacking President Barack Obama's nuclear deal for doing the same thing." Booker called the current situation worse than the Obama-era deal, saying that "thanks to you all—the power of shutting down the Strait of Hormuz" has been discovered by Iran. According to the article, Rubio had a "major meltdown" over Booker's questioning.

Falling Asleep: The Hill (Center) highlighted yet another angle over questioning surrounding President Trump's health. Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) asked Rubio whether he had ever seen Trump fall asleep during a Cabinet meeting and accused Rubio of lying after showing a clip of Trump with his eyes closed. Lieu said that Trump appears "weak" to enemies, and Rubio contested that questions over Trump's cognitive abilities are "absurd."

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